8 Ways Graphic Design Will Change Your Business | KIAI Agency

8 Ways Graphic Design Will Change Your Business

Have you ever loaded up a website for the first time, and immediately been confused or turned off by an outdated site design? How about struggling to find the information you need off of a cluttered and disorganized event poster? Maybe you’ve picked a book from the shelf at the library, and then put it back down, judging it by its poorly-designed cover? Like it or not, we all form opinions based on our first impressions, whether it’s a jarringly-edited movie trailer, or a sloppy business card. First impressions are usually based on sight. That’s why we check for food in our teeth before a first date, why we dress to impress for a job interview. We want to look our best. So why should your approach to business be any different?

At KIAI Agency, we’ve mastered the subtle art of the first impression. With more and more industries relying on the Internet for new clientele, the initial wow factor of your brand has never been more important. One of the most important steps in getting people engaged with your brand is outstanding visual marketing. Here are eight ways that graphic design can impact your business.

1. Finding Yourself

Spiritual enlightenment aside, figuring out who you are is just as important in business as in your personal life. A brand with inconsistent image can, at best, confuse your customers, and at worst, drive them away. Something as simple as a consistent colour scheme across your business cards, leaflets, and websites can boost your brand recognition. Many people are visual learners, and will be more likely to identify you by your ‘look’ before anything else.

This can be taken further with a professionally designed logo, which is basically a mental shortcut for your clients to recognize you. Think of the most successful companies today, and a logo probably pops into your head. What do these brands have in common? A simple, elegant, and consistent logo design that clients will always recognize. If you’re a business owner, you’re working hard to prove the excellence of your work—let that be reflected in your logo. 

2. Sending a Message 

Similar to the challenge of creating a strong identity for your brand, is the task of finding your company’s core message. This is a personal process, and no two companies will have the same message, even within the same industry. Really, brand message is the answer to the question: ‘Why choose your company?’ Sure, you could just list your services online, and maybe throw a quick mission statement in your ‘About Us’ page, but why stop there?

A professional designer will make your brand message and identity work in harmony. The goal here is to let everyone know about your company’s core values. This can be as simple as keeping your company ‘voice’ consistent across social media, or choosing what pictures to display on your website. Every little bit adds to the user’s impression of your company, so make sure they know what you’re all about.

3. Breaking Out 

Great graphic design can help your business break in to new markets and demographics. There’s a fine science to marketing design, learning what works. And it’s always changing. Investing in marketing is a great choice for all companies, old and new. Not only do tastes change, but marketing platforms do as well. A designer can make sure you have high quality images for all of your social media accounts. They can also help you create a logo that won’t be ‘out of style’ in two years. Small changes can really affect the way people look at your brand. A professional design is the first step in welcoming a new prospect in the door. 

4. Building Trust 

High-quality designs can help you win the trust of your customers. If a potential client sees inconsistency in your brand design, who’s to say they won’t find the same inconsistencies in your work? By showing off a unified image of your company, people will be more likely to do business with you. You know that you’re giving your all to your work, every day. Let that dedication to quality be the first thing the world sees. 

5. Changing Perception

Minute design changes can affect the way that customers perceive you. For instance, adding 15% more yellow to a soft drink can made consumers taste more lemon-lime flavour in the drink, even though the recipe was unchanged. This is the power of strong visual marketing. A qualified graphic designer knows all about mental colour associations—yellow can give the impression of speed and efficiency, while blue is calming and trustworthy. Your company values and identity should be considered when choosing a colour scheme. Discovering an amazing new design for your brand can breathe new life into it.

‘Good taste’ is pretty subjective. But luckily, the science of colour theory is not. Real study goes into learning about how our brains process visual information, and the way that colours affect us. A designer is not just there to make your content look nice, but understanding how these changes will affect users, driving more business to your company.

6. Being Friendly

Successful brands are friendly brands. Being reachable, professional, and above all, helpful, can mean all the difference in where a customer takes their business. But a friendly brand is about more than just ironic tweets or emojis on your Facebook page. Using a combination of aesthetics, brand identity, and a strong message, you’ll find that customers are more likely to choose your company. And if you’re as friendly at work as you appear online, people will keep coming back. With so many large companies being reluctant to provide quality customer service, you can really set yourself apart by showing your clients that you care. 

7. Making It Work 

Contrary to popular belief, a graphic designer’s main concern is functionality. In other words, making it work comes before making it pretty. Quality design will not only be more inviting to the discerning user, it will improve the way they engage with your content. A trained designer understands how we comprehend text. They’ll plan fonts and typography accordingly, so that all the information in your marketing materials is easy to read and understand. They know which images to choose to invoke a reaction, and where to place them to draw the eye. This key part of design makes every aspect of your marketing simpler for the client, and ultimately increases your odds of getting a call from them. 

8. Emphasizing Your Work 

Ideally, good design is invisible. Often, the most simple, easy-to-use designs were the ones that took the most artistry and effort. At the end of the day, your company design is about your company. Great graphic design will emphasize the highlights of your brand, and won’t call attention to itself. Although many don’t know it, everyone prefers a well-designed webpage, or a clean and clear business card—something easy, efficient, and to the point. Rather than disorganized information, or overly-involved design choices, get quietly creative, and set yourself apart from the competition.

Whatever the industry of your business, you got started in it for a reason: nobody does it like you. You bring unique skills and perspective to your work that can’t be offered by anyone else. For most of us, a sense for visual marketing doesn’t come naturally, and thankfully, that’s why there are professionals. If you’re ready to introduce (or re-introduce) your brand to the world as the distinct and distinguished organization that it is, it might be time to consider consulting a graphic designer.

KIAI Agency Graphic Design 

At KIAI, we understand how important design is to the success of your business. There’s nothing we love more than meeting business owners and tapping into their pure passion for their work. This genuine drive for quality service is apparent in all of our clients, and with just a bit of help from a professional, they’re able to translate it into visual marketing for the whole world to see. Like all of us at KIAI, our designers are highly trained and experienced, and have a creative, out-of-the-box approach that addresses your brand, inside and out.

If you’re ready to take the next step in establishing your business as the best around, don’t be afraid to contact KIAI Agency today, and show us what you’re all about.